Inari's Prayer
by Aerotyl
Summary: Sequel to The Namikaze Legend. What if Sarutobi Hiruzen sealed the Kyuubi instead of Namikaze Minato? Naruto grows up with a family but is that all that changed? Who is this masked man and who is that cloaked figure? Read to find out! Partially AU Long awaited Narusaku and other minor pairings, Naruto Smart/Strong Minato and Kushina are alive, T for potty mouth and violence. AU
1. Chapter 1

WAIT: YOU'RE ABOUT TO READ **THE SEQUEL TO THE NAMIKAZE LEGEND**. IT IS MOST ADVISED TO READ THAT FIRST BEFORE YOU READ INARI'S PRAYER OTHERWISE I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REVERSE THE CONFUSION THAT WILL BEFALL ON YOU IF YOU CONTINUE TO READ PAST CHAPTER ONE.

* * *

an:/ Hello cutsie hobbitses. Aerotyl is back, up and running. It's the summer and I'm not going anywhere (real waste of time but whatever). When I said I would update over the weekend, I meant sunday night. And when I meant sunday night, I meant I passed out while updating, resulting in a faceprint of a keyboard and an un-updated sequel. Then I reread what I wrote, I was appalled at my 3:00am work and decided to revise. Went through two versions of this. It's like the world is out to get me and all of you are laughing at my expense...no worries though, that's why I am here. Entertainment for all.

Review responses were on that authors note at the end of TNL so don't skip it because you think you know what it's about.

Sorta spoiler but a warning:

Though I must warn you in advance, while it may not happen any time soon, some of the most unexpected characters may, for a lack of better term, die and there won't be a bijuu or a jutsu that can bring them back. When I say they're dead, they're_ dead_. (Time to freak out.)

Your not-so-long awaited sequel my dearest readers:

* * *

The sunlight poured in through the windows of the barely decorated room. At the bedside was the loud alarm clock blaring it's song. The bed sheets began to rustle and a muffled groan was heard from under. Everything went quiet except the incessant chime of the alarm which was brought abruptly to an end by a kunai impaling it violently. The sound died out and the hand slipped back into the bed sheets.

The sheets shifted again and a head poked out. The girl squinted as she hefted herself to an upright position. Her long hair stuck out in many places and her eyes screamed annoyance and sleep deprivation. She swung her legs to the side and let her feet touch the cold bare floor. Her toes curled at the touch but she stood up full height and made her way to the bathroom.

"Honey! Are you awake?"

"Yes! I'll be down in a moment!"

The girl combed through her long pink locks and scrambled downstairs to see her mother frying eggs.

"Good morning, Sakura! Going somewhere?"

"Yeah, important day today."

"Oh really? What is it?"

"I'm starting my new job at the hospital! Can you believe it?!"

"Oh congratulations, sweetie! Make sure you're home on time and we can have a celebratory dinner!"

"Mhmmf" Sakura nodded with a mouthful of toast. She darted out the door, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.

* * *

The blond (an:/haha there _is_ a difference!) threaded his hand through the soft pink tresses and felt her soft lips on his. He brought her closer by her waist, pushing against the small of her back.

_"Welcome back..."_

The boy pulled back and smiled at the girl, her face albeit slightly blurry.

_"Good to be back, Sa-"_

"WAKE THE HELL UP, GAKI!"

The boy was awoken by the sudden change in temperature as his teacher dropped a bucket of water all over his face. He jolted up, skyrocketing a few feet in the air before crashing back on the floor next to his bed. Seventeen year old groaned against the muddy dirt that surrounded his sleeping bag and didn't move. The veins on the teacher's forehead pulsed as the teenager didn't move.

"Wake up you little brat or we won't make it to our destination on time."

"Mmmphf...I'd rather not." the blond turned his head to the side to enable breathing.

"Yeah well, the sooner we get there, the sooner we see your damn girlfriend."

The teen turned beet red and sputtered.

"Sh-she's not my girlfriend!"

"Yeah...Like I'd believe that. I know infatuation when I see it." The sage muttered as he slipped his bag on his back, "Get ready or I'm leaving with or without you and your weird ass dreams." The old man proceeded to poorly henge as the teen and grope the air for an imaginary girl while smooching.

The boy groaned again before flopping onto his back and rubbing his blue eyes before grinning. He got up to get ready, watching the old man already walk away. Not that it would matter since the old coot was slow anyways.

* * *

"I need you to file these in the archives and get me a copy of the general hospital's update. Then I need one from the academy for new genin recruits this year."

"Right away, Hokage-sama"

The secretary made her way out and Namikaze Minato slowly sunk back into his chair. He technically should not be working. Hell, he shouldn't even be anywhere near the building. But as much as his wife would like to kill him for this, he had things to do, people to meet, places to be, and those things aren't going to do themselves.

Minato jumped out of his seat when the door slammed open.

"You stupid IDIOT~! What are you doing in the office!"

Kushina slammed her hands on Minato's desk, successfully dumping all the paper of the floor and scaring Minato shitless. The hokage put his hands up in surrender.

"Mah...Well you see, Kushina-chan-"

"Don't _'Kushina-chan_' me! You should_ not_ be in this damn office!"

"Now, calm down for just a moment-"

"Calm? CALM? YOU TELLING ME TO BE CALM? WE'RE GETTING CLOSER, LIKE ONE OR TWO DAYS CLOSER, TO THE DUE DATE AND YOU'RE TELLING ME TO BE CALM? BECAUSE I AM TOTALLY CALM RIGHT NOW. DON'T TELL ME TO BE CALM BECAUSE** I AM CALM**."

"Honey-"

"DAMMIT, MINATO. I'M GOING TO HAVE A-"

"Hokage-sama, there are two visitors at the gate asking for you." A messenger bowed quickly and left.

The room went silent before Minato shot out of his seat and grabbed his cloak.

"Well, Kushina-chan, we have some important guests at the gates, if you would excuse me-"

"It's '_Kushina-sam_a' to you now, AND THE COUCH FOR A WEEK~!"

Kushina stormed out of the office, Minato wailing behind her.

* * *

A pinkette who was peacefully walking down the street for her lunch break caught sight of a flash of yellow in her peripheral vision and immediately looked around for it. And that was when she saw him.

At the gates, next to a tall sage was an almost equally tall blond teen. He was lean but built under his jounin jacket. His normally long blond hair that was styled like his father was cut shorter (an:/think of his normal haircut in shippuden). His jounin uniform was covered by a long red overcoat with black triangles at the end of them. His eyes were obscured by a mask perched atop his head albeit slanted to the left.

Sakura almost dropped the small carton of rice in her hands as she stared, mouth agape. And it was as if he knew she was staring at her, he slowly turned in her direction. The thin scars adorning his cheeks became prominent and the sparkles in his blue eyes shone brightly in the shade of the large gates. And that was when she dropped the carton of rice and subconsciously stepped forward.

* * *

"So..."

"What?"

"You're not going to declare your presence at the top of your lungs now that you're here?"

"Why would I do that?"

"You didn't seem to have a problem doing that in the other towns."

"I was 15, what do you expect?"

"That was only two years ago."

"If you haven't noticed, two years is quite a lot in teenage years."

"No not really. You're still the same damn gaki."

"Thanks. It's good to see years of voice cracking, tripping, and...other things were put to good use."

"Your father owes me so much. He has no idea. That was all his job and he dumped it on me."

"Right."

Naruto glared at Jiraiya and crossed his arms as they both continued to wait for his father. It was slightly chilly waiting in the shadows even though the weather was really sunny. He almost started to kick the dirt beneath him but he felt a tug to his left. When he looked up, his jaw almost dropped.

Only twenty meters away, a pair of green eyes stared back, her long pink tresses cascaded down her back. The face his dreams have been missing looked back at him. He wanted to smile but his face wouldn't move. He just looked on until the box of rice in her hands dropped on the ground. His eyes darted down but back up when she took a step forward. Jiraiya, who was still talking to the guards, didn't notice Naruto slowly walk away from him but when he did, Naruto was already walking towards the girl.

"S-Sakura?"

"N-Naruto!"

Sakura ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck as he twirled her around to stop her momentum.

"Oh my god, it's been a long time since I saw you! You've grown taller!"

Sakura broke apart and measured the height difference.

"Wow, and I'm wearing slightly elevated sandals to top it off!"

Naruto laughed and combed his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, you've, uh, grown too, and I see your hair is even longer than before."

"Yeah, as long as it doesn't get in the way, I'm fine with it."

The two went into an awkward silence as Naruto debated what he should talk about and Sakura chided herself for ending the conversation like that.

"So-" "I-"

"No you start." "You can start."

"I-""I-"

"How'd the past three years go for you?" Naruto started.

"Great, I guess. I was going to say the same thing, good I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, busy. You know, training, and all that."

"Yeah...totally." Sakura rubbed her arms as she looked to the floor. Naruto kicked the dirt lightly as he looked up towards the buildings.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Both teens slumped in relief as the Yondaime and his wife walked over.

"Tou-san! Kaa-san-whoa, whoa, whoa, what. What the fuck. What is that. Why are you-"

Naruto began to sputter as he pointed at his mother.

"What did you eat? An entire cow? Lay off the ramen, Kaa-san-"

Kushina whacked her son across the head and growled.

"Are you calling me fat? I'M PREGNANT, YOU STUPID IDIOT!"

Naruto cradled his head and Minato only looked on apologetically.

Jiraiya walked over and looked at Kushina.

"Lay off the ramen, lady." he deadpanned.

Kushina growled and punched the living daylights out of the sage, sending him crashing into a nearby building.

"I'M PREGNANT, DAMMIT!"

Sakura rushed over to Kushina to support the her.

"Kushina-sama, stress will cause an early delivery. Please do not overexert yourself."

Kushina substantially calmed down and took in deep breaths.

"That's what I tried to tell her earlier, but she just wouldn't listen..." Minato muttered to Naruto. Jiraiya appeared next to Naruto and put his hand on both of their shoulders.

"Women." The sage shook his head.

Sakura and Kushina shot daggers through their eyes at the men.

Naruto and Minato surrendered, pointing at Jiraiya. Kushina and Sakura looked at each other before they both punched Jiraiya in the face.

Jiraiya sailed through the air screaming "Traitors~!" before crashing into the walls of Konoha.

* * *

"I expect a full mission summary by the end of this week and I need you on duty at the missions desk in my place for the rest of the week as well."

"But, Tou-san. It's going to be my sibling too. Shouldn't I be there as well?"

"We will call you over, but your mother is more lenient on you than on me. Just humor me for a bit, all right?"

"Fine. You owe me."

"Sure, whatever. How much."

"40"

"Holy shit, that's like 10 more than last time!"

"I'm a growing boy."

"Like there's any room to grow but horizontally."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"N-No...wait, you're not Kushina. YES, YOU ARE FAT!"

"Tou-san~!"

"35 and no more. I may be Hokage but my money does not flow like chakra."

"37"

"Deal."

Naruto sprinted out of the office as Jiraiya only looked on in exasperation.

"I should've taught you more on bargaining, Minato. You seem to be bested by your son every time."

"Right, well he's taught by the best, right? Speaking of which, give a report."

"He's on the move."

"Which one, dammit. All this obscure talking is giving me a headache."

"The masked man."

Minato's gaze steeled, but Jiraiya continued.

"Naruto deployed more spies over the course of these three years and some say that this man goes by the name of Tobi. He's an Uchiha and wears an orange mask."

"I think we heard of this man already. Anything new."

"An organization that goes by the name of Akatsuki. Tobi is part of it. It's run by an unseen ruler of Amegakure. There are some pretty stretched rumors of the leader of this group. But the main Akatsuki members are highly wanted criminals. Itachi is included in the list. The main group is hard to get in. Hell, it's like they only recruit every blue moon."

"Itachi, huh. And, Amegakure?"

"The Daimyo says he has nothing to do with it and that there hasn't been a leader since Hanzo but I believe he might be under the influence of a jutsu. These rumors of the leader go as far as to say he is a god of some sort. A Rinnegan user."

"A Rinnegan? Are you sure. That is the stuff of legends though."

"I think they're just rumors. These people are pretty reclusive and like to stretch the truth."

"Stretched or not, there's a bit of truth in it somewhere. Is there anything we can actually gather that has evidence?"

"None. As far as we're concerned, these people don't even know who they're bowing too."

"And Tobi?"

"I want to say that he's responsible for the Kyuubi but they say he's rather an oddball. A highly unlikely suspect for the attack and most likely harmless."

"Yeah, that's what they want you to believe."

"Right. And they have recently recruited a new member."

"Identification?"

"No name at the moment but known for her strikingly green hair. She's a rather cheerful one. Some say she can't die."

"Immortal?"

"Highly unlikely. Even Orochimaru couldn't think of it. Kabuto is trying to continue the old snake's work but clearly he hasn't gotten anywhere. The Uchiha under his wing though, thank god you've got your son on his side. A force to be reckoned with, that one."

Minato sighed as he rubbed his temples. These people were bad news. Tobi, this leader, Kabuto, this green haired girl, even the cloaked figure at the chuunin exams way back when.

"All right, submit me a report in a week as well. Detailed please and don't spill sake on it like you did last time. We need as much information as possible."

"Right. Anything on Naruto's training?"

"Is there anything knew? Bounty collecting, saving villages from the brink of disaster, what else is new? You guys seem to have famous adventures that make it here, even though a bit stretched. I think there was one where Naruto rode a bird. Had to convince Kushina for a whole month that it was just rumors."

"No that was real. A summon. He rode it."

Minato paused and exhaled again.

"Just don't let Kushina hear that or she'll faint."

"Right."

"Good night, Jiraiya-sensei."

The sage hopped out the window and Minato rested his head on his hands. It's going to be a long week.

* * *

An:/ So, yes no? Maybe so? I don't care. I have started the sequel and SURPRISE Naruto has a sibling up to boot.

Right off the bat POLL:

Should the baby be a GIRL or a BOY

And if you'd like, throw in some name suggestions (nothing to crazy please, my brain gives me enough)

ANOTHER POLL:

A reader in TNL asked if the sequel could be M rated...I dk but if you want to, I could arrange it. But I might just stick with T, your choice though, my wonderful readers. T or M?

Just leave your suggestions in the reviews or my PM box

Aerotyl over and out.


	2. Chapter 2

An:/ Cyber hug to reader **marmend** for favoriting/following IP first...not that there was a competition to begin with but kudos anyways. And I have never received as many emails as I had on the night of the update. Like Dayummm. All right, I updated a day later because I wanted all the polls in. I would like to say it was a landslide but on a more personal left it was a close call because I felt that both genders had their possibilities. Anyways. I'm giving you an extra chapter to think it through. As for the rating

Here is the dealio with the rating: I'm going to keep it T rated. Now before you go "Awwww, no lemons? What the hell is this?" I just want to say, I don't think you want me to subjugate you guys to my terrible attempts at any form of lemon. Yeah, it's that bad. So here is what I'm going to do, I do plan on including a few intimate scenes between Naruto and Sakura but it won't entail an M rating. I'm pretty sure you all can handle a little smooch here and then, nothing major. No need to close your eyes and scroll through, unless you're that conscious about it, in which case yes, do close your eyes (shield yourself away from the spit exchange!).

The next "week" for Naruto is just a "filler" with him getting settled and stuff. This is mostly because I need to go rewatch the beginning of Shippuden to get a timeline to follow. Yeah, I know, the things I do for you.

I'll be **updating regularly once a week**, maybe twice if my brain allows me to.

Also (I know, long authors message "just get to the damn chapter already!") I have seemed to promise a reader by the name of "yayouyo" that I would name Inari's Prayer "Supert" for a week or so after a month it's been out by promise. So, uh, just look forward to that or something.

On the beta, I'm still waiting for a resume from somebody who said they'd get it to me. You know who you are. I'm waiting~!

URgh, new stuff: **Flame response**. Skip now or forever hold your peace. Now I know you all will probably be like, yo, it's like the first chapter, what the fuck could possibly start a flame? Well let me tell you a little bedtime story, young'un. It all starts with a little shit called fanfan. Now, in the Kingdom of Fanfiction, many young stories and authors lived peacefully and happily without a care in the world. They lived in harmony where people could talk to each other, befriend each other, compliment each other. But everything changed when this little shitstain worm called fanfan came into town.

See, this little fucknut, was a small parasitic worm and was extremely jealous because there were so many awesome people with beautifully written stories and it just wasn't one of them. It became sour and mean because it didn't have the courage nor the ethics/moral to write it's own damn story and so it decided to hate on others and review their stories, often promoting a writer by the name of mr grimjaw. You see, mr grimjaw did absolutely nothing but this little shitfuck decided to act on it's own accord. Aerotyl, a defiant knight of the Kingdom, heard news of this terror and decided to aid. Aerotyl was immune to the spats and shats of the worm and couldn't care less about what it thought of her story.

However, when the son of a fuck insulted one of my friends after he mentioned he is going through a hard time, I couldn't take it. I can personally take your fucking insults but no fucking asshole can get away with insulting my friends. Let me give it to you straight. If I find out that fanfan or anyone else is harassing my readers, they'll have to get through me first. This is ridiculous. I know that no one is that low in real life, so why here? Why be the bane of everyone's existence? Why be a low life from the lowest level of hell when you could be so much better? Go fuck yourself. And grow up.

Anyways, Aerotyl slayed the parasite with her magnificent pensword and trampled that son of a bitch with her noble steed in hopes that the rest of the town will be able to live happily ever after. Let this be a warning to all. Be nice or go fuck yourself with a cactus. The end (hopefully).

Also this asshole poses as people and reviews on stories. Watch out for him, he's easy to identify because he can't spell "story" correctly like any 6 year old can which leads me to believe that he's probably got the mentality of an unborn fetus.

**All right, let's get on with the story.**

* * *

The village was eerily silent as the sun peaked over the surrounding mountains. The shade of the trees turned the normal heat into a chilly breeze. The movement was scarce save for a few guards and the occasional early rising merchants. The training grounds were empty except training grounds 7, occupied by a rather exhausted blond. For all the sweat and blood the blond has put into his training, the grounds were unscathed, an occasional breeze rolling through the rather long grass. Naruto, however, was littered with small cuts and gashes and his breath was heavy.

Naruto collapsed onto the ground with his back sprawled out. It was his first day back and he still couldn't stop training. Hell, he even woke up early, that insinuating that he actually slept in the first place, but let's just humor ourselves for now. The breeze felt colder against his sweat and he couldn't help but shiver.

He looked up just in time to see a chuunin shunshin in front of him with an official scroll.

"Hokage wants too see you, Namikaze-sama"

Naruto looked at the young chuunin, noticing that he had never seen the face before.

"Right. And you are?"

"Hyuuga Hanabi, sir."

Naruto looked shocked for a moment before he smiled.

"Congratulations, Hyuuga-san. You were barely an academy student three years ago and now you're already a chuunin."

The girl felt a tinge of heat rise to her cheeks and she looked down.

"T-Thank you, Namikaze-sama"

Naruto gave a quick smile before he disappeared in a flash.

_(an:/that meeting had no purpose btw, like actually.)_

* * *

"You called?"

Minato slowly looked up at Naruto and rested his papers back down on the table. He leaned back and swirled his chair back to face the windows behind him. Naruto sweat dropped but kept his stance straight.

"Tou-san?"

"Ah, yes, Naruto. I've called you because I have received some very _disturbing_ news about your trip over the course the years. Including riding gigantic summons that could possibly eat you. Now I know since you haven't told your dear old father about these trips, I'm forced to ask you about them...as a hokage."

Naruto facepalmed himself as Minato continued to pose as a formal as possible.

"You see, Tou-san. I would have told you if it wasn't for Kaa-san. She'd lose her head if she heard half of what I've done!"

Minato jumped out his chair wailing at Naruto's feet.

"But there were plenty of times that you and I were alone. You wouldn't tell your poor Tou-chan anything! What happened to the chibi Naruto-chan that told me everything! I miss my little Naruto-chan!"

Naruto looked disturbed at his father groveling at his feet and shook his leg off before coughing.

"Fine, I'll tell you but you can't tell anyone!"

Minato jumped back on his chair like an excited puppy and nodded enthusiastically.

Naruto settled on the visitors chair.

* * *

On of the most prominent memories Naruto could vividly remember was when he visited the Temple of Wind roughly six months ago. Settled at the seaside of Kaze no Kuni, the temple was in a rather remote area. Jiraiya had brought Naruto there to help his wind element manipulation improve.

"The shit really started on our way there," Naruto started, "when we were walking through to the cliff sides near the temple; When the desert was slowly transitioning into the deep forests. It was terrible. I think my skin was course and I had a mouth full of sand along with a cracked lip. Ero-sennin thought it would be a marvelous idea to buy sake instead of water for our rations! Yeah, buy alcohol. Good idea, stupid idiot. He ended up hallucinating a lot and getting us off course because he "saw a pretty lady" in the middle of the freaking desert!"

_"Wait Naruto, I swear this time! There was a beautiful voluptuous blonde over there behind the tree! I need to see her!"_

_"THERE IS NO FUCKING TREE YOU ASSHOLE! THERE IS NO FUCKING LADY BEHIND THE IMAGINARY TREE! YOU ARE IMAGINING THINGS NOW QUIT WHINING!"_

_Naruto felt his lip crack and his vein twitched. He could taste his blood run down the newly formed crack and he slowly grew irritated. After his recent outburst, the slightly red Jiraiya remained quiet until they reached town. After clearing the gates, movement ceased the moment Naruto walked in. All eyes turned to him as his pace slowly died down to a stop as he noticed people looking at him. Incredulous as to what was happening he turned to see Jiraiya nowhere in sight and everyone advancing on him._

_"W-wait, what. What do you guys want? No...no...KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~!"_

_His screams echoed throughout the town before it went silent and a flock of birds escaped the trees._

"Anyways, I was pretty pissed after my travels so when I reached the temple, I was irritated, exhausted, and not in the mood for what they had in store for me. Apparently, nobody has seen a blond haired boy in their life so they all started to gawk at me. I was snatched away and brought to the temple to see if it was a blessing from their deity or if I needed exorcism. Either way, I was taken from my sleep which pissed me off even more."

_"I've never seen anything quite like it."_

_"Do you think it's a sign?"_

_"Guys. It's just a damn hair color. Will you let me go already?" Naruto grumbled as he crossed his arms. The priests, all a head shorter than him, circled him like a pack of sharks, poking and prodding. There was a group of priestesses giggling in the corner as they took surreptitious glances towards the blond boy._

"They started to get everything ready and the priests kept touching my hair and at one point, I believed they pulled out a knife to cut my hair. I just snapped. Nobody touches my hair, dattebayo. So I just stood up released a shit ton of chakra and stormed out of the temple scowling as everyone just stood there silently."

_"The gold. I'm sure of it. The hair is made of gold"_

_"Wait, guys. It's just hair. Calm yourselves. It's regular hair-"_

_"Get the sacrificial dagger."_

_"Wait, that won't be necessary. No sacrificing tonight, boys-"_

_"Let's just get a lock."_

_"ENOUGH, DAMN IT! DON'T. TOUCH. THE. HAIR."_

_The hall went silent as the blast shattered the windows and toppled over the altar. Naruto huffed one more time before storming out of the echoing hall. He slammed the doors open and let out a frustrated scream before leaving again._

"According to Ero-sennin though, that was a wrong move because even though they didn't have ninjas, they knew about chakra and they could read the level of wind chakra in my "blast" so they just went batshit crazy thinking I was their deity of some sort. I couldn't walk down the street without being touched and stuff. The priests bowed at me and apologized profusely for angering me and asked that I didn't curse them. I had to resist laughing but I just scowled and walked away. Anyways, a few bandits heard of this new "deity" and thought if they kidnapped me that the temple would pay a large sum for a ransom. I guess they didn't know who I really was." Naruto scoffed.

_"Hey you!"_

_Naruto slowly turned around, a stick of dango poking out of his mouth and his hands carrying groceries. His sight fell upon a group of bandits with their swords pointing at him._

_"You're the deity right? Blond hair, blue eyes?"_

_Naruto gave them a deadpan look, internally screaming "What the fuck does it look like?"_

_"No, I'm a brunet with hazel eyes."_

_One of the head bandit's henchmen leaned over and whispered._

_"I think he's lying, boss."_

_The dango stick snapped in half as Naruto bit hard. The vein on his forehead pulsed as he dropped all the groceries. He gave them a smile that turned out more of a grimace and his eye twitched._

_"What can I help you with?" he tried to remain composed but it was slowly slipping away._

_"We've come to kidnap you!" The man declared._

_Something within Naruto snapped itself and Naruto let out a frustrated high-pitched scream. He had enough of this deity shit, villagers touching him, priests constantly apologizing, Jiraiya constantly skipping out on his problems, him getting kidnapped._

_"THAT'S IT! YOU WANT TO KIDNAP ME? YOU WANT SOME OF THIS BLOND HAIRED DEITY, YOU COME AND GET IT!"_

Minato looked worried. "Did you get kidnapped? What did they do? Were you safe?"

"Relax, I'm getting to that part."

_After an hour or so, the group of 60 bandits were laying on the ground and Naruto growled at the pummeled around him. Naruto turned around and picked up his groceries before turning heel and making his way back to the hotel._

_But apparently, this didn't deter the bandits as they regathered and replanned._

_"Damn, he's a lot stronger than we thought. Maybe he really is a deity."_

_"Shut up, Rorichi. He's just a mortal man."_

_"But he goes us real good. We had swords, he had nothing!"_

_"He's a ninja, what do you expect?"_

_"How do you know?"_

_"He's got a pouch of kunai and a shuriken holder."_

_"How are we going to get him?"_

_"With ninja of our own. There is a man in town looking for some jobs. Said he was jounin and a hell of a good swordsman."_

_"You think he'll take it?"_

_"Yeah. Definitely."_

_A day later, Naruto exited out of the temple looking distraught as ever from the supposed training. Jiraiya had actually managed to find a master to help him with his elemental manipulation without the whole deity crap in the way. Regardless, it was hard work and Naruto was quite tired. He began to walk down the street before a voice interrupted him._

_"Hey you! Stop right there!"_

_Naruto slowly turned his head and he immediately scowled._

_"You bunch again?"_

_The bandit group was there again with their swords pointed. The head stepped forward and scoffed._

_"We're going to kidnap you and this time we're going to do it right."_

_Naruto turned around fully and pulled his hands from his pockets._

_"It's like you didn't learn the first time around. What more do you want? A black eye?"_

_The leader scoffed and the crowd began to part until a lone man stood there. Naruto's eyes locked in on his they stood there in silence as the bandits looked on in anticipation. Naruto's eyes twinkled in amusement and the man's brown ones mirrored his. They just stood there looking at each other until the leader stomped on the floor._

_"Well do something, damn it!"_

_That's when both started to crack up and burst out laughing. Naruto fell to the floor, banging his fist on the ground as he tried to calm himself but he kept bursting into fits of laughter just like the other man._

_"Man, to think I'd see you here!"_

_"Same here, brat."_

_"What-pft-HAHAHAHAHAHA"_

_The bandits looked on in absolute confusion and unadulterated horror as the two shinobi laughed hysterically._

_The two got up and walked up to each other before shaking hands._

_"Sheesh, Gaki. I was expecting a real fight for once. My sword is just rusting away."_

_"You're better than a thug for hire. I thought we went through that. Shouldn't you be on a mission or something?"_

_"I finished it a day ago. Just resting a bit before going back."_

_"That's sort of against protocol, isn't it?"_

_"What isn't said in the report won't be known unless you rat me out. Besides, they said it would take a week. I've been here for four days."_

_"Leave it up to you to finish an A-rank in three days."_

_"Well, Gaki. You know me."_

_"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE? WHY AREN'T YOU KILLING EACH OTHER LIKE I PAID YOU TO!"_

_The two stopped their conversation to look at the angered bandit before looking back at each other. Naruto just looked at the man and smirked._

_"Since you're getting paid for this, why don't we just do the usual way, beat them up and take their money anyways."_

_"Great minds think alike, gaki."_

_A few minutes later, the pile of bandits were shoved to the side of the road and Naruto looked back at the man._

_"Now go back and get that report in. You know the ANBU pay is based on time as well, right? You're wasting precious time and money."_

_"Wha-why didn't they say so?!" The man growled._

_Naruto chuckled and waved his hand._

_"It was nice working with ya, Zabuza. Say "Hi" to Haku for me, will ya?"_

_"Yeah, whatever, Gaki. See ya 'round"_

_Naruto smirked and left for the hotel as Zabuza sprinted off back to the direction of Konoha._

* * *

"So, Zabuza has been shirking off his duty and time, eh?"

"N-No...Don't tell anyone, please. And don't reprimand him for it! He's just bored!"

"Hmm. Fine. And what happened to those bandits?"

"Got rid of them."

"Oh, _really_?"

Minato and Naruto's eyes widened at the new voice and their jaws dropped slowly as they craned their necks to the window side. Minato's heart dropped and Naruto sweatdropped while backing away. Minato rushed over to a pregnant Kushina, escorting her out of the window.

"Kushina-chan! You shouldn't be climbing windows with your-"

"With my _what_?"

"Your..._delicate figure_..."

"Shut up, Blondie. And it's "Kushina-_sama"_ to you for this week, remember?"

Minato continued to frantically pester her to make sure Kushina was okay while Kushina sent a pointed look to Naruto.

"_Bandits_? Do I even want to know?"

"Ha-How much did you hear exactly?" Naruto asked nervously.

"Luckily for you, just the part of you confirming what happened to the bandits."

"Well, erm, you see, Konohamaru and his little gang played-uh- bandits with me. I got rid of them." Naruto nervously scratched the back of his head as he sped through his excuse.

"You're a terrible liar, you know. It seems you didn't pick up on my excellent lying skills. I happen to be an excellent pathological liar."

"Oh-er, really? I did not know that...not at all...nuh..."

Naruto slowly backed away as Kushina advanced with Minato at her tail. Naruto's back reached a wall and he looked back just before Kushina yanked at his ear. He gave a yowl of pain before Kushina dragged him out the door. Kushina quickly grabbed Minato's ear as well.

"HEY! Why me, too?" Minato wailed.

"Because you were in the office when you should be at home!"

"Well you should be in the hospital but I don't see you there!"

Naruto looked up to his dad in hope at his defiance but Kushina's ice cold glare made both blondes cringe. Minato shrank away, his courage melted into nothing as Kushina continued to tug them away back home.

* * *

AN:/ Okay, so that wasn't really what you were looking for in a secondary chapter but like I said, **it's kind of a filler week just so I can catch up on shippuden**. The baby will come within this filler week. I'm giving you more time to vote on that poll

CONTINUATION OF LAST WEEK'S POLL:

**Should the baby be a girl or a boy?**

**And what should it's name be?**

Lots of you gave me excellent names. For a boy, Menma seems like a cool idea, and for a girl, I don't know yet but Naruko isn't gonna be it because Naruko is Naruto's female persona so that won't work.

ANOTHER POLL THAT I JUST CAME UP WITH:

**Should the baby's hair be red or blond?**

Anyways. To my friend ixPinkRoses, have a great trip in England. Go visit 221B Baker street for me will ya? And don't talk to strangers who come from strange blue police booths. ANd don't forget to have fun!

* * *

Review Response (I've decided to only do a select few reviews because I'm not responding to 84, some of which are just one to two letter words):

* * *

Zatheko: Thanky~!

rachcatcool: props to the wonderful name!

ixPinkRoses: lol calm down. No deaths for the baby. No deaths like Nepeta geezus.

Guest: Haha I laughed at your review. OH how I would LOVE mega detailed lemons in every chapter! But I'm not too sure about the rest of my readers XD

ILoveAfricanGiraffe's: God YOU GOT SASUKE UNDER YOUR COMMAND AS WELL! TELL ME WHAT IS THE SECRET! Sasuke why won't you love me too!

Drums4life: Thanks!

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: Of course there's no such thing as a normal review from you! And yes of course, burning fanfan in a portal of eternal flames ain't so bad of a review either

NatrualGieling: Haha kill Deidara, got it...but I kinda like how he looked...we'll see.

Tigress-of-the-Grove: You are just like me at 4am! Speaking of which...it is 4AM here! *squeals and runs around room for no reason* yes, I have my fans make difficult decisions because I'm just brain fried and can't think for myself, muahahaha the evilness of being an author!

Djflemse: God you're making me blush! I'm glad I partially made your day! That is my goal with writing these stories! To make my readers happy! And it makes me happy when you're happy!

dbzgtfan2004: Thank you! Yes Narusaku forever!

Pricegoku: Oh no! Well, thank god then that you got it! You would have missed the party!

AllForHighspeed0512: Yes, we will get more Kurama convos because Inari's Prayer will be from Kurama! Whoops! Said too much!

Narutofanatic: Looks like I'll have to get an instagram! But not now because it's 4! But you guys will be the first to know and I'll follow you!

: Sorry, gotta do the parenthesis because fanfic thinks your name is website and deleting it when I publish! (those evil peeps) Anyways, Love your enthusiasm! Wow you recommended my stories? God you have me blushing so hard o/o thanky...it will be T rated!

Simple-Name-J: Geezus! One day! Well props to you! I'm impressed! Welcome to the TNL and IP readership!

Marty15: Why thank you! Let me join you in your happy dance!

Guest: Well I'll be diddly darned because a NaruHina fan reading my story and actually liking it? *slowly claps* I'll have you converted in no time *grins evily* haha jkjk but I'm glad you're liking my story despite your normal pairing! Yeah, Naruto is a bit overpowered (I read my first few chapter in TNL and I have to say, wow I was dumb)

vampiregirl2014: Haha, if the girl vote wins, yes, the "I will break your face" will begin

beisenman1892: Wow you're the first (Besides my friend) who noticed that I was gonna kill off someone! Haha, that victim's name will remain in the shadows until it comes around! MWUAHAHAHAHA

Tsuukiyomi: Good suggestions! I will keep them in mind!

* * *

If I didn't respond to your review, it's not because I don't love you but for the sake of the rest of the world because answering 84 review wholeheartedly would take forever. I love you all equally, each and every 1,000+ of you who read the first chapter. Better luck this chapter right? And remember, I will always, no matter what, be your friend. Come to me if you need anything (including defending you like a knight from the evil clutches of fanfan) and I'll be there for ya!

Aerotyl over and out!


	3. Chapter 3

An:/ So I haven't updated in three-four weeks, which means I owe you three to four chapters, am I right? So guess what? I wrote, four chapters for you. I know, I know, I'm a horrible person with updates but I deliver (I guess?) so stay happy :)

(I know it's a short chapter, but that's just how it's gonna roll.)

* * *

Haruno Sakura tapped her foot against the tree stump and crossed her arms. Of course she should have known that her sensei's late behavior hadn't changed a bit. She pulled a strand of hair behind her ears and stared at the ground crossly. Her head snapped up when Konohamaru came bounding in, stumbling over his feet before regaining balance and brushing the dirt off him.

"Am-am I late?" He huffed.

Sakura glared and looked away, "Our Sensei isn't here. What gave you that thought." She sneered.

Konohamaru slumped in relief and propped himself on a stump. Not much changed about him. His hair was still spiked up and his long blue scarf still trailed behind him. The newly instated genins began to call him The Blue Fire Dragon because his scarf was always following him like a dragon in the wind. The jounins and chuunins made fun of him for the pseudo moniker while the genins revered him. His outfit was standard chuunin uniform and his bo staff was strapped to his back.

Sakura turned to Konohamaru.

"So, where are your little cronies?"

"They're my friends, for the record. Friends that are my age. And they're off doing who knows what, they're all still genin. I told them I had to be here for Sensei. And now where is he?"

Sakura shrugged and Konohamaru groaned.

"If that asshole doesn't show up in the next five seconds, he's a gigantic fuckface"

Sakura hummed but she heard a faint choking sound and turned to see a blond holding Konohamaru in a chokehold.

"What was that, Saru? I couldn't hear you. I think it went along the lines of calling me names? How immature of you. And here I thought you grew up," he teased.

Konohamaru was tapping out desperately as his face turned blue. Naruto loosened his grip and dusted himself off while Konohamaru's limp body fell to the ground.

"Oh I see how it is. I call you names and you don't show up. But, the minute Konohamaru says one word about you, you show up in a flash! What is this injustice!" Sakura threw her hands up in exasperation before storming towards Konohamaru to haul him up. Naruto scratched the back of his head, chuckling nervously.

"Well, now that we're all here."

The two looked up and stood up straight.

"I've been gone for quite some time and since I have improved, I'm sure you two have as well. And as team captain, I need to test out your new abilities."

Konohamaru gave a pointed look.

"Wow. You? Team captain?"

Naruto dead panned.

"Right. Your incredulity has been duly noted. Anyone else for objections?"

Konohamaru made a clone who raised his hand. Naruto swiftly kicked the clone and socked Konohamaru on the head.

"Point is, we're doing a secondary bell test and since you already know the goal, this should be pretty easy."

The pair looked to the ground and checked their weapons. Naruto observed the two, watching as they got ready. He stayed silent, he knew these two were tense. Why? Well, you would be tense too if you were avoiding a certain topic at all costs. It was obvious that the it was running through everyone's minds, and they knew none would speak a word of it. He wasn't there. Uchiha Sasuke was gone. Of course, Naruto inwardly smirked at the thought.

"Alright, fellas. Ready to get the show started?" Naruto clapped his hands together, rubbing them as he grinned. Naruto pulled out two small bells that jingled in the wind. The air became thick and the silence loomed over them. Suddenly Konohamaru yanked his Bo out and extended it towards Naruto. Naruto ducked under and dashed forward.

"I didn't say start yet, but I'll take it that you're ready."

Naruto gave a big toothy grin before disappearing in a flash before he could collide with Konohamaru.

* * *

"If you think that's gonna work on me, you can think again." Naruto dodged the staff and flipped back a few times.

Konohamaru clenched his teeth and charged forward again. Naruto dodged the second series of attacks and countered, sending Sarutobi few meters away. From behind, Sakura charged forth, ramming her fist into the ground. Naruto flipped upward and disappeared in a flash just as the ground underneath collapsed on impact. Naruto rested in the branches looking at the two chunins fix themselves.

Naruto looked around him and began to sprint towards the tree line, sending a few bursts of chakra to get the two moving. Just as planned, Sakura and Konohamaru shot their heads up in his direction and sprang into action. Naruto smirked and upped his speed. He took a sharp right into a clearing and shot a few explosive tags in the direction of the incoming chunins who split just in time. Just as he sprang back into the trees, a shadow passed him into the clearing and intercepted his students. Naruto landed into the trees, wide eyed a he watched the figure among the dust settling. His students were as confused as they watched. When the dust cleared and an ANBU mask was revealed, Naruto smirked.

* * *

Sakura held her hand out as Konohamaru shifted stance. They didn't know what was going on as an ANBU appeared in front of them. His chakra signature was not Naruto's and Sakura was weary.

"Who are you" Sakura demanded from across the clearing.

Sakura and Konohamaru flinched when the ANBU only pulled out a tanto and shifted into stance. Just as Konohamaru was about to pounce, a kunai dug deep into the ground between them and Naruto flashed to the center with a Rasengan at hand. He drove the technique into the ground, sending the Shinobi into the trees but within sight. He got up from the crater and looke at Sakura and Konohamaru.

"It would only be fair if it was two on two, right? Well meet my teammate and your other opponent. It's time for out counter attack."

The ANBU only nodded and Sakura and Konohamaru gulped.

* * *

Naruto's students huffed as they hid behind trees. Least to say, they were caught between a rock and a hard place. Naruto and his partner were a lot harder to corner and take down and cornering Naruto was already close to impossible. With a full trained ANBU on his side, Naruto almost seemed invincible. Naruto would send burst of chakra as if toying them, knowing they wouldn't be able to get him with the ANBU lurking around. And Naruto's flash and Rasengan duo was hard to beat.

Sakura suddenly screamed before she was knocked out and taken by the ANBU who ran for the river nearby. Konohamaru jumped into action but Naruto appeared behind him and tugged his scarf hard. Konohamaru whipped around and punched air as Naruto dodged and sprinted away. Konohamaru jumped towards Naruto but suddenly stopped. And watched as Naruto sprinted away. He turned heel and made his way to the river. He wouldn't be able to take Naruto Sensei down by himself. As much a he wanted to beat his Sensei, it would be impossible without back up. He made a dash for the river and stopped just as he skidded across the water.

The ANBU had Sakura at knife point and Konohamaru frowned.

"Let her go."

The ANBU remained silent.

"Take me instead. I'm out of chakra, leave Sakura and take me hostage instead"

Konohamaru had one shot to get both him and Sakura out of here. A small opening which was coming up fast.

The ANBU shoved Sakura to the shore and charged for Konohamaru. The boy made a clone and charged up a Rasengan. The ANBU went wide eyed but continued to charge. The Rasengan was ready and Konohamaru rammed it forward to meet with the incoming force but just as the ANBU freezes within arms length, the Rasengan dissipated and Konohamaru was left defenseless. Konohamaru flinched and tried to dodge but was conked out before he could do anything.

* * *

Konohamaru woke up to the sound of Naruto cackling like an evil maniac and him bound to a stump. To the right of him was Sakura scowling at the blond. While Naruto was prancing around the two tied up nins, the ANBU was standing silently in front.

"Oi! Naru-shit! Untie us!"

Naruto stopped and looked at Konohamaru and smiled.

"The Saru is awake. Well, I would untie you but you're in enemy territory and you have failed the mission."

Konohamaru slumped and groaned.

"Shut up and listen. You failed the mission...on epic proportions to tell you the truth. We practically wiped the floor with your sorry asses. You didn't hold a candle and I personally felt if that was a real mission, you'd probably die."

"Gee thanks for the motivational speech, Naruto-Sensei. I've never felt more motivated to become a ninja." Konohamaru dead panned.

"I'm not finished. Yes, you two sucked, but I've never been prouder."

Konohamaru and Sakura stiffened before looking up in confusion. Naruto only smiled.

"You two are chunin who were up against full fledged jounin, the elite. What do you expect. The odds were against you from the start and it's not like I was easy on you. S class nin against a bunch of B class, even without my ANBU partner here, you'd be defenseless. But I'm proud nonetheless. You've proved to me that you have improved greatly and you are worthy of your rank.

Konohamaru, I am especially impressed with the skill set you have displayed. Though incomplete, the Rasengan is a hard technique to master and you have shown promising technique. But that's not what I am most proud of. I am so proud that you went to rescue Sakura even if your objective was right under your nose. You hold the will of the fire well.

Sakura, your excellent chakra control and chakra sensing were a major advantage in this mission. You knew from the start from my partner's chakra that he wasn't me and you were able to pinpoint where my burst of chakra came from and act fast. Your quick thinking and sharp wit almost worked but alas, I think we all know who was the top of the strategic class back in academy. They would have worked if I didn't know which maneuver you were going to pull in advance.

All in all, your teamwork is stellar and you skills have drastically improved. I am proud to be called your former sensei and am honored to be designated team captain for this team."

Naruto squatted between the logs and slapped Konohamaru and Sakura on the shoulders, beaming. Konohamaru was caught between blushing and scowling.

"Sensei, this is great and all. I feel happy too but who the hell is that dude?"

The ANBU didn't move and Naruto suddenly got giddy.

"I totally forgot! So as it turns out, we need another teammate to complete the missions of our caliber so...the hokage as given me a previous colleague and personal friend of mine, as a stand-in teammate," Naruto elbowed the ANBU, "dude, take off the mask"

The ANBU stoically untangled the mask from his hair and revealed his chalk white skin and blank face (an:/ hahahahhahahaha times infinity)

"I present to you...Sai! Welcome Sai to the team everyone."

"Hi." "Nice to meet you."

"Sai is unfortunately socially inept so you're just going to have to bare with him. On the inside, he's a pretty decent fellow."

The ANBU gave a weird smile that came off creepy to Sakura and waved his hand.

"As dickless said, I'm Sai, and I will be your new coworker. Nice to meet you."

"Dickless?" Sakura blushed and Konohamaru started laughing hysterically. Naruto's eye twitched and punched Konohamaru across the face and pulled Sai by the ear.

"Yeah, and pasty face here is also a bit of an asshole with the names. Isn't that right, teme"

Sai pulled out a book and looked in it questioningly.

"But it said in here that nicknames were terms for endearment. You base them off of physical or emotional traits. Dickless is perfect because it fits both categories."

Naruto's eyebrows twitched and Konohamaru was sent into another fit of giggles.

"Ehem...anyways. He will be your new teammate for now get to know each other and we'll do fine-"

"Namikaze-sama! Namikaze-sama!"

Naruto turned to the voice and gave a questioning look to the running chuni, Hanabi.

"Er, yes?"

"Please report to the hospital immediately!"

Naruto's face grew serious and he nodded before vanishing in a flash. Sai had untied the ropes to Sakura and Konohamaru's stumps and they looked at the chunin. Sakura looked concerned.

"What's wrong, why does he have to go to the hospital?"

"Yondaime Hokage-sama's wife, Kushina-sama, has gone into labor!"

Sakura sprinted off and Konohamaru trailed behind. Sai only smiled at the messenger and disappeared in his own pile of leaves.

* * *

an:/ At first I was going to upload all three chapters at once, but I think I'm gonna update the next chapter tomorrow and then the next after that just to give you a bit of suspense not only for the baby but the next chapter. I wrote this chapter at the beach instead of swimming...oh the sacrifices I make for you.

I have a convention this weekend so I might have to speed up updates.

Naruto's and Sai's friendship. I will elaborate later on I guess. But yeah, I just skipped the whole shit for now. Bear with me yeah?

Review Responses...eh later

Aerotyl over and out.


	4. Chapter 4

an:/ Teehee...It's 1AM so technically it's "tomorrow"

* * *

Regardless of the Kyuubi sealed within Naruto or not, Kushina was situated deep in the underground floors of the hospital with seals pasted all around her. The risks of lingering Kyuubi chakra was too high and to top it all off, she was the Hokage's dearly beloved wife. But even with the sound barriers and the 20 meters worth of dirt over their heads, not a single patient could get past the unsettling screams and death threats coming from below.

"IF THAT HORSESHIT WORTH OF AN ASSHOLE SHOWS UP AFTER THIS DAMN PARASITE COMES OUT, I'M GOING TO RIP HIM A NEW ONE AND SHOVE HIS DAMN HOKAGE HAT SO FAR UP-"

Naruto arrived the front and bursted through the doors and slammed his hands on the receptionist's desk, ignoring the threats he could hear ever so clearly.

"Uzumaki Kushina. Where is she." He demanded, out of breath.

"L-Level 3B, r-room 430. Clearance level J-Jounin or higher-"

"AND WHERE IS THAT OTHER DAMN BLONDIE FISHCAKE~! HE'S SO FUCKING GROUNDED, JOUNIN OR NOT. THAT LITTLE TWERP IS GOING TO GET A MOUTHFUL OF SHIT WHEN I GET TO HIM-"

"Thank you." Naruto darted for the stairs and dodged several nurses. Just as he jumped down the flight of stairs, he caught up with another out of breath blond.

"T-Tou-san?"

"N-Naruto..she's going to kill us" Minato huffed as he ran down the hall.

"If neither of us make it, Kakashi-sensei will know what to do with our wills" Naruto followed suit.

"WHERE ARE THOSE TO PIECES OF SHIT. THOSE WORTHLESS SPINELESS COWARDS. UGH THIS HURTS MORE THAN HAVING A KYUUBI RIPPED OUT OF YOU BY A SACK OF SHIT."

They found the room and bursted through the doors, Minato quickly came to Kushina's side, holding the bone crushing hand weakly while Naruto recoiled at the sight in front of him.

"I think I'm going to be sick" he gasped before he turned out the doorway and vomited just outside in the hallway. Naruto coughed and hacked a few times before clearing his throat.

"K-kaa-san, I'll be just outside for moral support-"

"YOU'RE USELESS~!"

Naruto cringed and sat down on the bench across, wincing every so often when a piercing scream came from inside the room.

* * *

Naruto had fallen asleep for the next few arduous hours for Kushina but was quickly awoken by the sounds of nurses and doctors rushing into the room. He jolted awake and got to his feet, rushing into the rooms with them.

"W-what's happening?" Naruto tried to ask but no one was listening. All the nurses were running in and out of the room while the doctors shouted orders. Naruto looked around and found his father sitting in a chair next to the bed.

"Tou-san! What's going on?"

Minato looked up and Naruto's eyes widened. His father looked almost defeated, a sight rarely seen by anybody. His eyes were almost empty, lost of all hope and the bags under his eyes didn't make it any better. It almost seemed like he had aged 10 years in a matter of hours.

"N-Naruto...the baby...they said-they said-"

Naruto grasped his father's shoulders gently.

"Take it slow, explain everything."

"They said the baby might not make it. The-the Kyuubi's chakra remnants drained out the baby's chakra system and so they say if they don't get a donor soon, the baby-"

"A donor? You guys just need a chakra donor? What's all the rush-"

"You don't get it. The baby's got the chakra level of an Uzumaki. Kushina is the one with the closest chakra pattern but she's completely unconscious from the birth. Even if we could find a blood match and chakra match, a regular jounin could drain his or her entire chakra out and the baby would still not be replenished-"

"I'll do it. I can give the chakra. I'm family, I've got Uzumaki blood and chakra and the Kyuubi will back me up if I lose too much chakra. I can give the baby chakra"

Minato's eyes widened at his 17 year old son, silent for a moment before he shot up.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"

The room went silent as they stared at their Hokage.

"Somebody- you, hook Naruto up to the chakra transfer. You, get the baby hooked up as well. Someone go find Tsunade-sama- oh, there you are. I need everyone to clear the room. NOW!"

In a split second, everyone was in motion, filing out of the room while someone herded Naruto to a seat next to the table. Naruto could see a small blanket bundle on the table but it wasn't making any sound or movement. The nurse got in the way when she began to strap the chakra wires to him and the baby. Minato walked up to Naruto and kneeled beside him.

"All right, Naruto. You're going to have to listen very carefully. You cannot, under any circumstances, give the baby any of your Kyuubi chakra. Your normal chakra already has small doses of bijuu chakra so there's not much we can do there, but if you give the baby any kyuubi chakra, we'll have a secondary minor jinchuuriki, and I don't think we want that. It would fuck up Kyuubi's head and your's along with your chakra flow when you two are together. You need to focus on only giving your chakra. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded.

_You got that, Kurama?_

**Loud and clear. **

Naruto walked up to the table and looked at the bundle in front of him. His heart skipped a beat as he looked down at his baby sister. Her candy red hair barely poked out of her head, still a bit damp and dark. Naruto let out a chuckle before resting his hands on her chest and pumping in his chakra.

* * *

Naruto began to feel the sweat collect on his brow and his neck. His breathing was labored and his vision became groggy. The nurse was next to him, monitoring both their progress. The baby began to cry a while back and the nurse was there to pat until she could breathe properly. Minato kept seals updated around the room so the Kyuubi couldn't go loose, even with the whole camaraderie between the bijuu and his son. Kushina was still sleeping silently on the bed, her chest slowly rising and falling with the sound of the monitor.

Naruto could feel his chakra slowly drain and his arms were beginning to feel heavy. He clenched his eyes shut and rushed in another wave of chakra.

"Easy, easy, Naruto. Rushing in like that will cause the Kyuubi's chakra to come out."

Naruto eased his shoulders and resumed to his pace but the doors bursted open and Naruto flinched.

"Hokage-sama! There has been an emergency!"

Minato looked up.

"What happened?"

"Sunagakure has been attacked by a group of S-classed criminals. They called themselves the Akatsuki and they have kidnapped the Godaime Kazekage. They have requested help on the basis of the konohagakure chuunin exam treaty. And in special request, they have asked for your son and his team to be apart of the party."

Naruto jolted as he turned his head to his father.

"T-tou-san. Send my team. I'll catch up with them when I'm finished."

"But-"

"I'll be fine! I have a tag on my students. I can make it. Send Kakashi with them. They've got Sai." Naruto gasped out the last part and his breathing became heavier. Minato's gaze only hardened as he turned to the messenger.

"Well you heard him. Send off Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Sarutobi Konohamaru, and ANBU Sai. Immediately!"

"Ryokai!" _(an:/Roger. I'll be using this term frequently so learn it now)_

* * *

Sakura had ran to the hospital as soon as she heard the news, Konohamaru following suit. But as soon as they go to the desk, they were denied access because their rank did not clear the clearance.

_"Chuunin are not allowed."_

_"But-But we're the Hokage's son's students! And I'm a nurse trainee!"_

_"Still not cleared. I think you misheard me. It's a tokubetsu jounin level and higher for clearance. Anything lower and you're not allowed. Now please leave."_

_Konohamaru and Sakura had waited in the waiting room for hours but it was already into the night and they were asked to leave. The next morning, Sakura and Konohamaru still didn't receive any news._

Sakura got ready to wait at the training grounds but a chuunin stopped her on her way there.

"Haruno Sakura? You are to report to the main gate for an foreign mission at 0800 hours. Here are the mission details."

Sakura accepted the scroll skeptically. Normally Naruto was there to deliver or receive team missions. She looked at the scroll and saw the hokage's stamp of approval and shrugged before headed back home.

* * *

Sakura arrived at the gates just fifteen minutes earlier than the time written. She spotted Naruto's sensei reading an orange book while leaning against the wall. The pale ANBU stood next to him, arms crossed, waiting silently and patiently. She jogged over and smiled, tossing a light greeting before taking her place on the wall.

Konohamaru bounded over just under five minutes after the written time, heaving as he caught his breath.

"Did-Did I make it? Is Naruto-sensei here?"

Sakura turned to look around and frowned. Naruto was nowhere in sight.

Kakashi just gave a closed eye smile.

"Mah, Naruto is a bit busy at the moment, he won't be joining us till later. He said he tagged you guys so he'll be able to flash to us at any given time."

Sakura just frowned, getting more and more skeptical with each growing minute. Konohamaru just accepted the news and stretched his arms over his head.

"So who's team captain then? Me?"

Kakashi only chuckled.

"Actually, that would be me. The day a chuunin like you orders me around is the day Naruto stops calling you monkey behind your back."

Konohamaru blushed a deep red before growling, "He does it to my face anyway, that asshole."

Sakura only crossed her arms, "Why didn't Naruto-kun send a clone to contact us then?"

Kakashi grew serious and lifted himself off the wall.

"I'm afraid that's classified. Jounin level clearance. Anyways, it's time for the mission, and now that all of us are finally here, let's move out."

Sakura reluctantly nodded and followed the rest of the group out as they sprinted across the trees.

* * *

An:/ hee hee, baby's name later, basic summary later, review responses later...

Aerotyl, over and out.

PS. don't you just love cliffhangers?


	5. Chapter 5

An:/ Alright, I've left you all hanging long enough, time for some more drama ;)

* * *

"Do you think he'll ever wake up, hn?"

"Wouldn't be a problem if he did. Now let's get moving."

"I thought you were from Sunagakure. Don't you love the sand?"

"Why do you think I left?"

"..."

The two figures began their trek towards the edge of the desert, the border of the Kaze no Kuni. Soon, the Suna nin wouldn't be able to claim jurisdiction once they reached Hi no Kuni. And with the Konohagakure nin's delay, once they reached their destination, it would already be too late.

* * *

Minato had fallen asleep in the chair next to Kushina's bedside, both sleeping soundly. The hum of the machines and the perpetual beep of the heart monitors dominated the silent room. A sharp tug and the wires were pulled out from under the skin. Naruto pulled his heart monitor out of the electricity socket and pulled out his wires. The baby was fully synchronized with Naruto's chakra and on the base of the little girl's neck was a small seal, delicately placed on the still pink skin. Naruto poked her gently and she grasped his large finger in the palm of her hand. Her eyes were like Kushina's but they were shaped like her dad's. Naruto did a once over check up and detected no sign of Kyuubi markings like the marks on his cheeks. He smiled as she cooed and made his way towards the door as silently as he could.

"See you later, little one"

* * *

Kakashi looked to his right towards Naruto's students. Naruto had mentioned they had his tags but it had been 6 hours and Naruto had yet to arrive. It was daytime and the group had a lot of ground to cover.

"All right, we need to break for an hour and then we'll get the show started."

The group settled in a clearing with a creek nearby. Kakashi kept watch while the rest sat around their belongings.

"Say, Sai. Do you know what happened to Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Sai looked up and smiled.

"Classified information. You don't have clearance."

"I know that! But do you know personally what happened?"

"Yes, I do."

Sakura frowned and looked towards Konohamaru.

"And do you even care what's happened to him?"

Konohamaru looked up from his water bottle and frowned back.

"Of course, but unlike you, I'm not going to let my thoughts invade my mind when in action. We're on a mission for crying out loud. Naruto doesn't need you babying him. You need to calm down."

Sakura huffed.

_He's right, I shouldn't worry so much. It's his business. Who am I to snoop._

"All right, break's over." Kakashi walked over to the group and picked up his stuff. The group followed suit, hoisting their backpacks on. Just as they were about to take off, they heard a twig snap.

Their head all snapped in the direction of the sound only to see a flash of blonde hair poke from the side.

"Relax guys, it's just me." A voice huffed.

Kakashi stepped forward.

"Sakura check, his chakra," Kakashi whispered before yelling out, "Naruto, sorry, but security question, what's your dad's favorite color?."

"He likes two colors, fucking beige and navy blue. Boring colors if you ask me"

Sakura nodded at the familiar chakra color and smiled at Naruto from afar. Naruto lifted himself off the tree bark and began to make his way towards the group. Just as he was two feet away, his head began to throb and there was a high pitched ringing sound in his ear. He clutched his head with both hands and cried out as he fell to his knees. One hand catched his fall to the ground and he tried to take in deep breaths. The group rushed over to Naruto, Sakura falling to his side with her iryo ninjutsu at hand.

"I'm-I'm fine. Just a bit light headed" Naruto murmured as he pushed them away.

Naruto stood up and brushed himself off, ignoring the throb at the back of his head. The group looked worried but Naruto shook them off. He walked ahead and Kakashi caught up.

"Naruto-"

"The baby made it. She accepted my chakra and I didn't get any Kyuubi in it."

"...But that's not all is it..."

Naruto frowned, "...No, it isn't."

Kakashi nodded but stayed silent, falling back into his position as the group made their way to their destination.

* * *

The baby began to cry and Minato jolted out of his sleep. Kushina woke up as well and turned her head weakly to Minato.

"Minato...c-can I see her. Is she okay?"

Minato smiled at the sound of both the baby and Kushina and got up to get the baby. He cradled the girl and brought her over to Kushina who gently reached for her.

She nuzzled against her daughter, brushing the red tuft of hair with her hand.

"Minato...she's beautiful..."

Minato smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Namikaze Uzumaki Sayuri, welcome to the family."

Sayuri cooed and Kushina unwrapped her from the blanket and brought her to her shoulder. Minato took in the sight before him lovingly but suddenly his eyes honed in on the base of Sayuri's neck. His eyes widened and suddenly he panicked.

"Wait, Kushina. Can you give me Sayuri for a second?"

"Minato? Wait, why?"

"Just please, oh god- no-"

Kushina gently handled Sayuri and Minato lifted her up. He took a closer look at the small seal printed on the back of her neck.

"Oh no...Oh no, no, no. _Shit_."

"Minato! What is it?"

"Where's Naruto? I need- he-"

"Minato! Calm down! Tell me what happened?"

Kushina saw Minato' eyes, crazed, anguished, scared. She could see the sweat on his forehead as he began to make his way out of the room.

"I gotta find him now!"

"Minato!"

Minato stormed through the jounin's lounge and slammed open the Hokage's office. The group of jounins and chuunins sat around the table handing out missions looked up.

"Where's Namikaze Naruto?" He demanded.

One of them looked down towards the list.

"Namikaze Naruto embarked on a foreign mission 6 hours late, A-class bordering S-class on a mission with Hatake Kakashi, Sai, Haruno Sakura, and Sarutobi Konohamaru. He left at 1400 Hours, sir."

Minato felt himself shake as he looked at the group of chuunin requesting a mission.

"Does this group have a fuuin specialist?"

A girl spoke up, "Uh...I handle with weapons and sealing scrolls sir. Why?"

"Can you apply seals directly on skin via paper?"

"Uh, Yes, Hokage-sama"

"Good. Then, you four are heading out to support that mission. You, what's your name?"

"Tenten, sir"

"Tenten. I'm going to give you a seal and I need you to apply it onto Namikaze Naruto, it doesn't matter where but that is your primary mission above all others. If you do not get this seal on him as fast as possible, Naruto might die, do you understand?"

"Ryokai!"

"Good, prepare to leave immediately!"

"Team Gai! Meet at the main gates in 5 minutes!" Maito Gai shouted. (an:/ or Might Guy, dubbed or not)

"No! I will make it in 2 minutes, Gai-sensei!" Lee exclaimed.

"That's my pupil! Alright 2 minutes!"

"No, one!"

The hyuuga face palmed himself while tenten sighed. Minato rushed over to his office and saw Jiraiya perched on the window. The man looked up at Minato and saw the worry on his student's face.

"Minato? What happened? How's the baby? Did it work?"

"Naruto. The baby-"

"What did he do?"

"The baby is fine but he put a forbidden seal on the baby!"

"Which one?"

"Which else! The chakra transferring one!"

"I don't see a problem-"

"Type 3!"

"Where's Naruto?" Jiraiya shoot up from the window and walked over.

"He's already flashed to wherever his group is!"

"Is he stupid? Did he read the side-effects? He's going to die!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Minato pulled his drawer open and pulled out a premade seal, "I have a team already at the gate on my go. One of them will apply this to Naruto and hopefully he'll make it."

"The short term effects are important and all but I'm talking about the long term effects, damn it! If he dies because of the short term effects, your other kid goes as well! That's how the damn thing works! He dies, she dies! And vice versa! Their chakra isn't your average donation, he must have ran into quite the issue if he had to resort to that damn thing. It's a forbidden jutsu for a reason! As a matter of fact, it's condemned! Looked down upon! Nobody uses it for that very effect! And there's the other thing too!"

Minato slumped into his seat, "I know..." he whispered.

Jiraiya scoffed, "Well at least your other kid can be a ninja now. That seal will enable her to build her own chakra to mold and use."

"But at what cost..."

"The cost of a chunk of your son's life."

* * *

An:/ Another cliffhanger? Another short chapter? Yeah I know I'm an asshole, but at the rate of my updating now, I don't think you should complain. If I don't update by tomorrow and it reaches friday, I'll be at Otakon so don't expect another chapter the whole weekend. If you're going to Otakon too, tell me so I can meet you!

Review responses later.

Aerotyl, over and out.


	6. Chapter 6

An:/ All right, so I know you guys hate cliffhangers with the burning passion of a thousand suns, but you have to understand, you have just stepped foot into your worst nightmare. The moment Kushina had her baby, the story had taken a downward spiral of no return to a very dramatic portion of the story. Every chapter will be very dramatic (hell, I should change the genre to drama for crying out loud) and since I don't want to write the entire story out in one chapter, you will be getting short bursts of chapters. It helps with my imagination and creativity and it will help me update faster. As for your review responses, I love them all and I will get to the eventually but you have to understand, I had over 100 reviews in two chapters and a majority of you guys would have forgotten what you asked so I didn't really bother. I will get to them though (I've already read them, answering them is more the question).

As for beta reader, you are all very well qualified and I would have loved to pick one of you but due to my short notice scheduled update change, it would be inefficient to run my chapters through another person. Besides, even if my work is mediocre at best, it should suffice for now.

Also, I'd like to remind you that while Naruto is indeed a genius here, he is still a reckless little shit that likes to fuck shit up by accident. That seal...well, we'll find out won't we.

As for the baby, I made Naruto an older brother because it makes him a bit more sympathetic towards another character coming up ;)

(Do you guys even read my notes? Or should I just shut up now?)

* * *

Naruto could feel his head throb in pain but he ignored the jolts and focused on his footing. His vision was starting to come back to him but the pace of the mission was too fast and his body was feeling heavy. Ignoring the side effects, Naruto couldn't help but inwardly smile. He cured his little sister. He was going to be a bigger brother! As a single child for a majority of his childhood, he always longed for a younger sibling. All his friends told him siblings stole their parent's attention but after seeing his younger sister, he couldn't care less.

Looking at his younger sister, he felt his heart swell up with pride. He imagined all the things he would do with her. Train her, take her to the festivals and carry her on his shoulders, make fun of their parents together, wreak havoc on the village, bake cookies together. He could imagine all the fun things he could do with her. But first he had to learn her name.

Naruto inwardly smirked. He was planning all this stuff for his younger sibling but he doesn't even know her name. But name doesn't matter at this point, he'll find out when he gets back. Right now, he's glad he's out of the deep end. A few hours back, the baby girl almost died in his hands. And in almost a split second, she was fine again and he had just finished a level three chakra transfer seal without even thinking. It was the strangest feeling.

* * *

_Naruto kept his hand steady, the hum of his chakra filling his ears. He could see in the corner of his eye that his parents were both asleep. Minato sat slumped in the seat with his arms crossed and Kushina laid still, face up like a mummy. He focused back on the girl in front of him._

**Your chakra is at 30%, you're almost done with the procedure but watch out.**

_You got it._

_Naruto felt his muscles ache and his feet felt sore. He took his eyes off the baby a second time and looked around the room. He'd been there for several hours now, sending in chakra nonstop. He started to hallucinate as nothing seemed to move within the room. His ninja trained eyes were looking for movement but found none. When he looked back at his baby sister, he almost yelled out in shock._

_The girl's face was replaced with that of a demon, reminding him of his mission several years back with the Uzumaki vaults. He blinked and the baby's face was back to normal. He shook his head and focused on the task at hand. He looked up at the monitor and noticed the small decline in her chakra. She was starting to deny a small portion of the chakra and that portion was only going to grow bigger as he pumped more in. Her heart was beginning to slow down and Naruto began to panic. _

**_She's going to die, you know._**

_Naruto flinched and looked around, looking for the source of the voice. It was alluring, soothing, mysterious, and Naruto didn't recognize it._

_Kurama?_

**_Hmmm, close but not close enough. Aren't you going to save your sister?_**

_What?_

**_She's dying. What you're doing isn't going to work._**

_Who are you?_

**_Just a helping...friend._**

_That's not very helpful or specific._

**_Just listen to me, boy. You know the chakra transfer jutsu, right?_**

_That's what I'm doing right now._

**_I'm talking about level 4._**

_...Are you insane. No one's achieved that level and level 3 is already insane enough._

**_Hmm, then what about trying level 3?_**

_Still insane. Just leave me alone, I feel like a crazy nutjob talking to myself_

**_But you're not talking to yourself_**

_…_

**_I just want to say that Level 2 clearly isn't enough and if you say you can't achieve Level 4, then Level 3 is your only option. Besides, you're in a family of ninja. At this rate, even if she did survive, she would live as a civilian._**

_But did you even read-_

**_Do you want to save your sister?_**

_But the effects-_

**_Forget the effects. Your sister is dying, don't you want to spend time with her? Family. She's your family._**

_…_

**_You were already thinking about doing it yourself anyway, why not go through with it. You know the seal, you know the hand seals, you have ink, you have a brush, all you need to do...is take that thought and turn it into an action._**

_…_

**_That's right, pull the ink out and dip the brush in. Now draw them onto her skin, yes, just like that. Now repeat after me, boar, sheep, horse, snake, ram, snake, dragon, rat. Good, just like that._**

_…_

**_Look, her vital signs are improving already. She might grow up a bit faster than normal, but no one in your family is normal anyway. She'll be fine. You'll be fine._**

_…_

**_Keep channeling your chakra into her. The seal needs help. Good. Good job...Inori..._**

* * *

"They're coming in a lot faster than expected, hn."

"Are you saying we won't be able to finish on time?"

"No but-"

"We're fine. These guys are nothing anyway"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. The ninth jinchuuriki is part of the group. And from what I heard, he's just as adept at his bijuu as the eighth. It won't be easy."

"What the hell do you know anyway. You're from that village aren't ya. I wouldn't be surprised if you were still working with them-"

"I massacred a large chunk of my clan along with the elders of the village. Do you really think they'd want to work with me in the first place?"

"...hn, true."

"Regardless, what he said is true, the ninth is in the group but that doesn't mean we won't finish on time."

"I just came to tell you that so keep it in mind. Shinobi no Inari is a lot harder to take down than you think. He managed to take down a potential Akatsuki member as a genin."

"Ha, those cronies are easy to beat. Of course he'd be able to beat them-"

"It was Hidan."

"..."

"..."

"I don't particularly care about you but if we continue to lose our members, at this rate, Akatsuki will be reduced to shark-imitating fish and weeds. We don't need fools in this organization."

"Hmph."

"..."

* * *

Sakura was definitely, 100% sure Naruto was not physically up for this mission. A collapse just after using a single jutsu is already enough to warrant suspension from C-rank missions. This was an A-rank borderline S.

She watched silently as naruto continued to stumble at his feet. He was clearly getting better. Better at acting, at least. Sakura knew whatever happened to Naruto earlier will only get progressively worse. It was only a matter of time before he will collapse and not wake up for a while.

It seemed the silver haired nin was thinking along the same lines. The man was taking worried glances at the teen, watching as the blond looked at his feet every so often. A genin mistake.

Naruto's head was elsewhere and on a high A-ranked mission, it was going to get him killed.

* * *

An:/ Another short chapter but like I said, it's all part of the plan. I'm going to be at Otakon for the weekend so no updates after this. I tried not to leave you on a big cliff hanger but it didn't really work...

Small poll I guess, just a small question: If you were to pick Sayuri's personality, what would you choose?

Aerotyl, over and out.


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